Classic raid instance bosses

This page contains a short overview of all Instance Bosses that were in game since before the release of the Burning Crusade expansion. These bosses are considered Raid Bosses since it takes more then a party of 5 players to down them.

In order to quell Hakkar the Soulflayer, the trolls of the land banded together and sent a contingent of High Priests into the ancient city of Zul'Gurub. Each priest was a powerful champion of the Primal Gods, but despite their best efforts they fell under the sway of Hakkar. Now the champions and their Primal God aspects feed the awesome power of the Soulflayer.

Any adventurers brave enough to venture into the foreboding ruins must overcome the High Priests and Hakkar's mighty lieutenants if they are to have any hope of confronting the mighty blood god.

One of Hakkar's more powerful lieutenants, Mandokir is the leader of the Gurubashi tribetrolls, the most powerful troll-tribe that resides inside the ancient city of Zul'Gurub. Mandokir and his people were reluctant at first to summon Hakkar into the mortal world and revolted against the plan, but as soon as Hakkar entered the world their resistance seized and they soon fulfilled his every command.

One of Hakkar's most powerful lieutenants, Jin'do was originally the leader of the Hakkari tribetrolls. After being exiled or murdered for the evil deeds they had done in Hakkar's name, they decided to wreak havoc upon the world and summon Hakkar into the mortal world. Jin'do and the remaining Hakkari trolls now reside inside the walls of the ancient Gurubashi capital of Zul'gurub.

Gahz'ranka is a giant sea-creature that lives in the waters of the ancient Gurubashi capital of Zul'Gurub. The famous fisherman Nat Pagle hunted the creature for a long time, but apparently failed to capture it. Gather a group of heroes and maybe some lure. Who knows, maybe you'll succeed where Nat failed...

The long centuries following the Great Sundering of the world were difficult ones for the troll race. Famine and terror were commonplace within the broken kingdoms. The Gurubashi trolls, driven to desperate ends, sought aid from ancient, mystical forces. Though both of the troll kingdoms shared a central belief in a great pantheon of primitive gods, the Gurubashi fell under the sway of the darkest one.

Hakkar the Soulflayer, a vile, bloodthirsty spirit, heard the trolls' call and decided to aid them. Hakkar gave his secrets of blood to the Gurubashi and helped them extend their civilization across most of Stranglethorn Vale and certain islands of the South Seas. Though he brought them great power, Hakkar wanted more and more for his efforts.

In recent times, the Atal'ai priests discovered that Hakkar's physical form could only be summoned within the ancient capital of the Gurubashi Empire, Zul'Gurub. Unfortunately, the priests have met with recent success in their quest to call forth Hakkar -- reports confirm the presence of the dreaded Soulflayer in the heart of the Gurubashi ruins.

In order to quell the blood god, the trolls of the land banded together and sent a contingent of High Priests into the ancient city. Each priest was a powerful champion of the Primal Gods -- Bat, Panther, Tiger, Spider, and Snake -- but despite their best efforts, they fell under the sway of Hakkar. Now the champions and their Primal God aspects feed the awesome power of the Soulflayer. Any adventurers brave enough to venture into the foreboding ruins must overcome the High Priests if they are to have any hope of confronting the mighty blood god.

The mighty Qiraji known as General Rajaxx commands the Qiraji armies in battle. He was described in the War of the Shifting Sands as "a towering monstrosity, swinging clawed limbs, looming over all and always shouting commands to the insect soldiers of Qiraji and Silithid during battle." He is currently a boss found in the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj. He is commonly thought to be Ragnaros's equal or greater in physical size.

Though the Scarab Wall prevented the Qiraji from venturing out of Ahn'Qiraj, the insect empire refused to remain idle. In preparation for their reemergence in the world, the shadowy master of Ahn'Qiraj commanded Emperor Vek'lor to create a new obsidian statue superior to all other Destroyers. Vek'lor sought his twin brother's aid in the task, and while Vek'nilash used his physical might to craft a grand body of volcanic rock, Vek'lor fortified the shell with powerful magic.

Emperor Vek'lor named the finished construct Moam, and observed as the dark master infused it with life. He was pleased and surprised to find that the improved Obsidian Destroyer was far more versatile than its earlier counterparts. The Twin Emperors intended to use Moam as a colossal weapon, knowing that its strengths would help it survive in the thick of melee as well as magical combat-but they did not expect for the construct's abilities to advance further without their own assistance.

Ayamiss is a powerful flying hunter in the ranks of the Qiraji army. She and her soldiers hover high above the ground, and when confronted, Ayamiss gets great pleasure in sacrificing random members of the opposing forces.

Ossirian targeted one of the leaders, the massive dragon Grakkarond, and hurled his obsidian sword through the beast's wing. The crippled wyrm descended, crushing the Qiraji as it fell. The dragon mauled Ossirian nearly to death, but the remaining Anubisaths and Qiraji now had a target on the ground to focus on, and they swiftly converged and overwhelmed the noble dragon.

Ossirian's beaten body was dragged back to the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj following the battle, where he should by all rights have perished. It is whispered that Ossirian found the favor of the malevolent force that reigns over the Qiraji, for in spite of his wounds, the construct survived.

The first of the five Flamewakers defending Molten Core, Lucifron is the first 40-man raid boss most players encounter. His attacks are all Shadow based, but Shadow Resistance is not needed in any way. His guards can mind control players, while he himself has an AoE Magic effect called Impending Doom that will deal 2000 Shadow damage if not dispelled quickly, as well as a Curse that doubles the mana/rage/energy cost of all abilities. Drops the Tome of Tranquilizing Shot, a necessity for future bosses.

A favored pet of Ragnaros and progenitor of the Core Hounds that roam throughout the Molten Core. Goes into deadly frenzies that only Hunters can dispel, has an AoE Fear, and occasionally throws Lava Bombs that ignite the surrounding area, dealing massive Fire damage. Killing Magmadar prevents Ancient Core Hounds that roam the instance from spawning. Drops all Tier 1 leg pieces.

A powerful Firelord that serves as one of Ragnaros' lieutenants and is partially responsible for Prince Thunderaan's imprisonment. Turns players into living bombs that explode after 10 seconds, dealing massive Fire damage to nearby allies and more often than not, killing the player. When near death, he starts a spell called Armageddon, which will likely kill anyone nearby should he succeed. Drops one half of the Bindings of the Windseeker.

A massive Molten Giant, Golemagg is the keeper of the valuable Sulfuron Ingots needed to form Sulfuras. He has two Core Hound pets that can not be killed until he dies. When low on health, he begins attacking much faster and causing earthquakes. Drops all Tier 1 chest pieces.

The fifth and final Flamewaker defending Molten Core, Executus is Ragnaros' most trusted lieutenant, and will only appear once the protective runes throughout the Core are extinguished. His encounter is the first truly complex 40-man encounter players encounter, calling for an interesting juggling of his eight guards. Once the guards are dead, Executus will surrender and leave to go summon Ragnaros himself. He leaves behind a chest of Epic loot, most notably items required for the Hunter and Priest epic quests.

One of the four Elemental Lieutenants of the Old Gods, Ragnaros is a being so powerful that his entrance into this world created the volcanic wastelands surrounding Blackrock Mountain. However, he is only a shadow of his former self, having been separated from the powers of the Elemental Plane when he was summoned into Azeroth. He is the final boss in Molten Core. High Fire Resistance is a must for those who wish to challenge him. Drops all Tier 2 leg pieces, as well as the primary requirements for the legendary weapons, Sulfuras and Thunderfury.

The most powerful known Dragonspawn in the world, Razorgore serves no master but himself. However, the dragonNefarian found a way around that, creating a powerful orb that would allow the Blackrock Clan to control Razorgore, and uses the Dragonspawn to defend a clutch of Chromatic dragon eggs. He is the first boss in Blackwing Lair. The encounter involves using the orb to make Razorgore destroy the eggs, all while fighting off 40 other Orcs and Dragonspawn. It is known as one of the most chaotic encounters in the game, if not the most. Drops all Tier 2 bracers.

Vaelastrasz the Red was the keeper of the red shard of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands. He had sworn to destroy the dragonNefarian, but lost the battle inside Blackwing Lair, losing the shard as a result. The raid comes upon Vaelastrasz just as Nefarian completes his corruption, and the mighty red dragon is helpless as Nefarian orders him to kill his allies. However, before the corruption is complete Vaelastrasz gives the players a buff called Essence of the Red, granting them unlimited mana, rage, and energy. However, this buff only last three minutes, and is crucial to the encounter. The dragon will also give players Burning Adrenaline, which makes all their spells instant cast but also eventually kills them. Drops all Tier 2 belts.

A large black Drakonid, Broodlord Lashlayer oversees the suppression rooms in Blackwing Lair, keeping the many kidnapped dragon whelps in check. The encounter starts long before the raid even lays eyes on Lashlayer, as they battle their way through the complex suppression rooms. Drops all Tier 2 boots, and acquiring his head is the first of many steps in the quest to open the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj.

The third of three black drakes found in Blackwing Lair. Like the other drakes, he uses Wing Buffet to reduce aggro, as well as the deadly Shadowflame, which needs to be mitigated by Onyxia Scale Cloaks. His unique ability is Fire Nova, a direct damage attack that hits all enemies within his line of sight. However, he uses this only when frenzied, which can be dispelled by Hunters. Drops all Tier 2 gloves.

The second of three black drakes found in Blackwing Lair. Like the other drakes, he uses Wing Buffet to reduce aggro, as well as the deadly Shadowflame, which needs to be mitigated by Onyxia Scale Cloaks. His unique ability is Shadow of Ebonroc, which applies a debuff to whoever is on top of the hate list. Whenever Ebonroc hits someone who has the debuff, he regains 25000 health. Drops all Tier 2 gloves.

The first of three black drakes found in Blackwing Lair. Like the other drakes, he uses Wing Buffet to reduce aggro, as well as the deadly Shadowflame, which needs to be mitigated by Onyxia Scale Cloaks. His unique ability is Flame Buffet, which applies a stackable Fire DoT to all enemies within his line of sight. Drops all Tier 2 gloves.

The only known Drakeadon in existence. The encounter is largely random, as his two heads will each have a random breath attack, and he casts random Brood Afflictions, applying nasty debuffs to all players. His skin also "shimmers," changing his vulnerability to certain schools of magic. Goes in frenzies that can be dispelled by Hunters, and enrages at 20% health. Drops all Tier 2 shoulder pieces.

Son of the Black Dragon Aspect, Neltharion, and lord of the black dragonflight. He allied the Black Dragons with the Blackrock Clan, and is attempting to create a chromatic dragonflight. He also stole the red shard of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands from Vaelastrasz after defeating him, and threatened to destroy it. He is the final boss in Blackwing Lair. In Phase 1 of the encounter, players must fight off wave after wave of randomly colored Drakonids, all while an invulnerable Nefarian wanders amongst the raid in human form, randomly shadow bolting, mind controlling and fearing people. Nefarian leaves shortly after. Once 42 Drakonids are killed, Nefarian returns in dragon form, opening up with a Shadowflame that hits all members of the raid. He will then proceed to randomly call out classes, forcing all players of that class to do something bad based on their class (ie. forcing Druids into Cat Form, summoning hostile Infernals, etc.). At 20%, he resurrects all the dead Drakonids as Bone Constructs. Drops all Tier 2 chest pieces.

Daughter of the Black Dragon Aspect, Neltharion, and brood mother of the black dragonflight. When she isn't meddling in human affairs or plotting with her brother, Nefarian, she is in her lair in Dustwallow Marsh, fiercely protecting her eggs. Although small for a dragon her age, she is no less dangerous. The encounter is divided into three distinct phases. In the first phase, she is on the ground and is extremely difficult to tank. In the second phase, she takes flight and breathes fire down on her foes. In the final phase, she lands once again and begins fearing her attackers, all while the ground erupts beneath their feet. Drops all Tier 2 head pieces, as well the sinew required for the Hunter epic quest.

Religious leader of the Qiraji and author of the Prophecy of C'Thun, the Prophet Skeram is the first boss in Ahn'Qiraj. Creates two mirror images of himself at 25% health intervals, and both the images and himself can Blink, Earth Shock, and Arcane Explosion. He also casts True Fulfillment on random targets, mind controlling them while increasing their damage, movement and resistance, and making their spells instant-cast.

One of the three optional Silithid Colossi found in Ahn'Qiraj, players must fight Lord Kri at the same time as Princess Yauj and Vem. Loot received from the encounter depends on the order the Colossi are killed in, and killing Lord Kri last is the hardest method and yields the best loot. He has an AoE Toxic Volley that hits all players in the room for Nature damage while applying a Poison DoT. When he dies, his corpse leaves behind a deadly toxic cloud.

One of the three optional Silithid Colossi found in Ahn'Qiraj, players must fight Princess Yauj at the same time as Lord Kri and Vem. Loot received from the encounter depends on the order the Colossi are killed in, and killing Princess Yauj last is the intermediary route, yielding good loot but not the best. She has an AoE Fear, and heals herself as well. Upon death, she releases a swarm of Silithids.

One of the three optional Silithid Colossi found in Ahn'Qiraj, players must fight Vem at the same time as Lord Kri and Princess Yauj. Loot received from the encounter depends on the order the Colossi are killed in, and killing Vem last is the easiest method and yields the lowest quality loot. Vem can charge his opponents.

A Qiraji Battleguard in Ahn'Qiraj, Sartura and her three guards are nasty opponents. All of them constantly reset aggro lists, the guards punt their opponents, and Sartura enrages at 20%. And if she isn't dead within 10 minutes, she goes into a super-enrage that is sure to wipe the raid.

A giant Slime, Viscidus is the second optional encounter in Ahn'Qiraj, and is a highly Nature Resistance intensive fight. Not only that, but he is a very interesting fight as well. He normally takes only 50% of normal damage. However, if he is hit by enough Frost attacks (whatever the source), he will freeze. Once frozen, physical attackers move in and attack him until he shatters, exploding into 20 globs. Once these globs reunite, Viscidus appears again. Killing a glob deals 5% damage to his total health, and is the most efficient way of killing him. Drops the bindings required for the AQ Set boots and shoulder pieces.

A lone SilithidWasp, Huhuran is a Nature Resistance intensive fight. Goes into frenzies that need to be dispelled by Hunters. Has deadly Nature AoE that she uses when frenzied or enraged, spews Noxious Poison, and uses an AoE Wyvern Sting that not only put players to sleep, but deals thousands of Nature damage if dispelled. Enrages at 30%. Drops the bindings required for the AQ Set boots and shoulder pieces.

Fought alongside his twin brother, Vek'nilash, this Qiraji Emperor is immune to all physical damage, resulting in an interesting tanking situation. He spams Shadow Bolt and casts Blizzard. He reacts with an incredibly powerful attack that will wipe the raid if someone hits him with a physical attack. And for good measure, he constantly teleport-switches with his twin, who has a similar reaction to magical attacks. Drops a circlet required for the AQ Set head pieces.

Fought alongside his twin brother, Vek'lor, this Qiraji Emperor is immune to all magical damage. He has an Uppercut attack that knocks back opponents, and Unbalancing Strike, which deals massive damage and lowers Defense by 100. He reacts with an incredibly powerful attack that will wipe the raid if someone hits him with a magical attack. And for good measure, he constantly teleport-switches with his twin, who has a similar reaction to physical attacks. Drops a circlet required for the AQ Set head pieces.

The ancient Silithid Sand Worm, Ouro, is a being of legendary power. He is rumored to have been created by the Old GodC'Thun himself as a mockery of life. He is the last optional boss in Ahn'Qiraj, and is Nature Resist intensive. During combat, he has a powerful breath attack called Sand Blast which deals large Nature damage, and an AoE knockback attack that often results in him targeting ranged attackers and healers. He also submerges at set intervals. When submerged, Dirt Mounds begin tearing around the room at random, dealing Nature damage to anyone caught their path. Once he reaches 20%, he enrages AND starts summoning Dirt Mounds without submerging. Drops the items required for the AQ Set leg pieces.

One of the Old Gods who ruled Azeroth prior to the coming of the Titans, C'Thun has been plotting his revenge since the day he was defeated by a nameless Titan in the deserts of Silithus. It was he who created the Aqir, ancestors of the Qiraji and the Nerubians, in the image of the Silithid. And it is he who drives the Qiraji on their relentless campaign. He is the final boss in Ahn'Qiraj. During phase 1 of the fight, players must contend with his Eye, which shoots immensely powerful beams of energy, and an assortment of minor tentacles. In phase 2, his body surfaces and giant tentacles appear, including mouth tentacles that swallow players whole. Those players plummet down into his stomach, full of disgestive acid, and must defeat some tentacles inside his stomach in order to weaken him. Drops the items required for the AQ Set chest pieces.

An ancient Nerubian ziggurat, Naxxramas was torn free from the ground by agents of the Lich King to serve as Kel'Thuzad's base of operations as he spreads the plague throughout Lordaeron.

Due to Kel'Thuzad fighting a war against the Scarlet Crusade, the Argent Dawn, the Forsaken and the humans of the Alliance, as well as constant incursions of adventurers from every race and nation into the Scourge-controlled Plaguelands on a daily basis, his forces have been severely taxed to maintain the security of his necropolis. But now the gates of Naxxramas are open, Kel'Thuzad's new forces are rapidly sweeping away all opposition to the Scourge.

As her name suggests, Faerlina is a powerful spider in the form of a female Human, clad in WarlockTier 3. She uses poison volleys, Rain of Fire and enrages, giving her abilities more destructive power.

Maexxna is the final boss in the Spider Wing section of Naxxramas. She awaits all who dare oppose her in her giant web in the outer ring of Naxxramas. She uses powerful poisons and traps players into her webs.

Once a notable Wizard and alchemist of Dalaran Noth heard the Lich king's call as Arthas and Kel'Thuzad did, he was quick to turn his back on the light and joined the Scourge where he believed that real power lay. During the third war Noth saw that many innocent lives were needed to feed the growing might of the Scourge and he came to a point where he started opposing himself, Kel'Thuzad resolved the matter by freezing his heart in his chest with his frost magic. Noth the Plaguebringer, now more undead than Human is an extremely powerful Necromancer with a various array of deadly spells and curses.

The final boss in the Plague Wing. Loatheb uses an evil combination of incapacitating the healers by placing a one minute cooldown of every spell and placing a damage over time spell on all members of the group.

Instructor Razuvious trains the warrior recruits of Naxxramas and poses an interesting fight. The Instructor himself deals insane amounts of damage; to such extend that the only way to tank him is to Mind Control one of his 4 students and cycle through them as the Mind Controls run out. Above that, his fearsome shouts will drain and almost destroy anyone who hears them...

They appear to be based on the mythical Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation, said to bring the end of the world - Zeliek as the White Rider of Conquest, Mograine as the Red Rider of War, Blaumeux as the Black Rider of Famine, and Korth'azz as the Pale Rider of Death.

Thaddius is a boss in Naxxramas. The theme of this boss is similar to that of Frankenstein's Monster, creating something akin to an Abomination in that it is sewn together of human parts, but also part machinery.

While Thaddius is being powered up, his two "guardians" in the form of Wights, Stalagg and Feugen, attack you.

An ancient servant of Malygos, - the Hand of Magic - Sapphiron was a blue dragon who lived with a powerful brood in Northrend by the Dragonblight, where he communed with the ancient spirits of the dead dragons. Sapphiron was magnificently powerful, and protected the lands of Icecrown as best he could. Though Ner'zhul's malevolent influence defiled the Dragonblight, Sapphiron continued to guard his hoard of treasure from intruders.

Anub'arak, the King of Azjol-Nerub, thought that perhaps by equipping themselves with Sapphiron's treasures, he and Arthas might be more prepared for the perilous journey through Azjol-Nerub. Arthas agreed, and journeyed into Sapphiron's lair with Anub'arak.

Sapphiron greeted the undead as they approached him. He found Arthas's honesty about stealing his treasure quite refreshing. Sapphiron and his drakes attacked with all their might, unleashing their strange, cold magics upon them. In the end, despite all odds, Arthas was victorious, and Sapphiron was defeated. As a final, clinching victory, however, Arthas used what remained of his dwindling power to recreate Sapphiron as a frost wyrm to serve the Scourge.

Formerly a sorcerer of Dalaran, Kel'Thuzad was one of the principal agents of the Lich King, responsible for the spreading of the Plague of undeath across Lordaeron. After being slain by Arthas during the events of the Third War, he was reborn as a lich. He then aided Arthas in summoning Archimonde, a powerful lord of the Burning Legion. However, Kel'Thuzad's true loyalty was to the Lich King, and not the Burning Legion. After the Legion's defeat, Kel'Thuzad supported Arthas in wresting power from the Dreadlords. When Arthas left for Northrend during the events of The Frozen Throne, he left Kel'Thuzad as his agent to command the Scourge in Lordaeron. He now commands Scourge forces in the Plaguelands from his necropolis floating above Stratholme, Naxxramas.